Free Online Kanji Etymology Dictionary
(A comprehensive Free Online Kanji Etymology Dictionary for the Web)
An Etymological Dictionary of Chinese Character Interpretations
By Lawrence J. Howell and Hikaru Morimoto
– Covering more than 6,500 Chinese characters as used in Japan –
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Kanji Search Results
卯 (5)
ボウ
う
Alternate Form 夘
S/B 
S/B 
S/B(a) is an ideograph suggesting a door or window with a bar aimed at preventing forced entry. S/B(b) omits the horizontal line to indicate that force has been exerted on the bar in bending and removing it → door or window the protective bar of which has been bent. S/B(b) came to be written 卯, and 卯 now conveys the sense of S/B(a) as well. Rabbit (as the fourth sign of the zodiac), east, and 5-7 A.M. are borrowed meanings. Most compound characters with 卯 as the sound note belong to the L group. This is on account of the initial sound transforming from M to the cluster ML and on to L.
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